The Vaughan Implantable Contact Lens is placed in one of two locations inside the eye:

between the cornea and the iris, or

just behind the iris, in front of your natural crystalline lens

Once implanted, the ICL permanently corrects nearsightedness and offers optimal freedom from glasses. This implanted contact lens does not need to be removed, will not dry out, and cannot be felt.

So far, two types of ICLs are available:

Visian ICL – U.S. FDA approved in 2005 to correct for -3.00 dioptres to -20.00 dioptres of nearsightedness. The Visian ICL is placed just behind the iris, in front of the natural crystalline lens

Verisyse – U.S. FDA approved in 2004 to correct for -5.00 dioptres to -20.00 dioptres of nearsightedness. The Verisyse lens is placed in the space called the anterior chamber, between the cornea and the iris.

Just like other vision correction surgeries, implanting a contact lens in the eye does have its own risks. While these risks are low, they include possible infection and inflammation, loss of cells in the inner layer of the cornea called the endothelium which can in turn lead to corneal swelling and blurry vision, and retinal detachment.

3-year FDA clinical trial outcomes for the Verisyse ICL showed that 84% of patients achieved bare eye vision of 20/40 or better, which is the minimum level of vision required for driving in the United States1.

Some studies show that ICLs are safer than LASIK and PRK when it comes to correcting moderate to high nearsightedness.

Speak to Dr. Tang, the Vaughan Optometrist today to learn more about Vaughan Implantable Contact Lenses.